The Crystal Blues
by salmonellafitzgerald
Summary: Beth Greene moves away after the death of her father. After moving into her new place, she is plagued by an odd but endearing guy that gives her butterflies and heartburn all at the same time. AU, crossover. No zombies.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's note: So yeah, I'd ship Beth with an heirloom tomato given half a chance. I love her and they were replaying the old episodes of Breaking Bad so this happened._**

The scorching sun blazed through the cab of the rented moving van, casting an ever present glare on everything it touched. Beth adjusted her sunglasses as the useless air-conditioner sputtered in protest to being turned on full blast. She huffed out an exasperated breath, rolling down the window in defeat. Leaning forward to pop her stiff back, Beth caught sight of her sweat deflated hair and big sunglasses in the van's large side mirror. Ugh, she thought, and ran her free hand over her golden main, attempting to tame it just a little. Giving up, she inclined her head closer to the window trying to catch some of the breeze.

All her worldly possessions were stuffed behind her as she drove the last leg of her extremely long 20 hour trip from the farm to her new apartment in Albuquerque. Her cat, Damn Cat, so named by her brother, jumped on her lap and mewed. She looked at him accusingly, taking his attitude as condescension. She batted him away gently and looked around at all the passing signs, finally turning off on her exit. As she neared her destination, she passed several cop cars and a few people lying prone on the ground at a gas station, causing her anxiety to spike. She was almost to her new home and already she felt like she made a huge mistake.

As Beth carried her mattress up the first flight of the three flights of stairs that stood between her and sleep, she was sorely regretting telling Maggie that she didn't want anyone there to help her. She grunted as she pushed and drug the full sized mattress over step after step. After she got enough distance, she would prop her mattress against the wall and run down to grab her pet carrier, unwilling to leave Cat in the van, and then she would begin the process over. At one point, she had to give up and sit down, taking deep breaths to quell her anxiety. Just as she moved to continue, she heard a voice from atop the stairs.

"Yo, bitch, you're blocking the stairs. Move your shit!"

Beth couldn't see around the mattress to give the disembodied voice a face. Instead, she squeaked out a quick apology and did her best to flatten the mattress against the yellowing walls to make way for the extremely cranky resident. She cringed at the greasy paint that was now touching her pillow top, causing her stomach to flip flop. She was going to have to dig out the disinfectant. She was pulled out of her thoughts as a guy, only slightly taller than her, pushed past the mattress and down the stairs. She missed his face, but caught sight of a red and black beanie and baggie pants. Once he was gone, she restarted her game of tug-o-war. As she was about to push her mattress the short distance to the second floor landing, a large body collided with it, causing it to ricochet down a few steps and making Beth whimper in frustration.

"Yo Jesse, wait man...hey." The large, rather fluffy guy stopped chasing his friend to look her up and down, a large smile erupted across his face. "I'm Badger, are you the new neighbor?"

Beth smiled and extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Beth." Badger shook her hand enthusiastically and called up the stairs. "Yo Skinny Pete, we got a new neighbor!" Turning back to Beth, he gestured at her mattress, "need help?" She nodded her head in the affirmative and Badger helped her push the mattress up the stairs. With the added help, she was able to juggle both the mattress and the cat.

Curiosity soon got the better of Pete and he made his way down, stumbling and cussing along the way. It took Beth everything she had not to cringe. _Don't judge a book by the cover Bethy_, she repeated her daddy's words silently and extended her hand to him. With Pete's help, Beth's mattress was soon propped up beside her front door, waiting to be carried inside. She thanked the two, waving goodbye, they walked into the apartment next to hers. With shaking hands, she put her apartment key into the door and turned the lock. A few small tears slipped down her face and she swung the peeling brown door open. If she had been expecting a mansion, she would've been pretty disappointed. Otherwise, it was right on par with how she felt it would look, judging by the hall and door.

The paint was definitely fresh, indicated by a faint odor emanating from the small space. The carpet was new too and she shook her head, imagination conjuring the image of dead bodies littering the floor. Walking around the open space, she ran her fingers over the blue formica of the bar. She could hear Cat mewing from the carrier and decided it was time to get a move on. She opened her door and drug her mattress inside and into the single bedroom. It was small, but for the first time since arriving, she felt that she could honestly make the place home.

* * *

><p>Beth had finally settled into a routine with school. It was boring, but safe. She was even getting used to being alone. The first night had scared the hell out of her. Every sound she heard was an intruder coming to get her. She slept with the blankets tightly pulled over her neck and shoulders, head sticking out and eyes searching. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun started to peek through her bare windows, allowing her to drift off into a fitful sleep, briefly. Before she had even been asleep for a half hour, she could hear the neighbors' door slam and the loud thumping of a stereo right by her head. She rolled her eyes and gave up trying to sleep for the day.<p>

Two months later, she was still fighting what she liked to refer to as the war against sleep and she was losing ground in the trenches. In response to the loud thumping, she dug out her speakers and pointed them straight at the wall. At first, she tried soothing, low key indie stuff. Instead of having the desired effect, he would turn his stereo up, making the wall jump violently by her head. Spitefully, she started playing some of her more angrier music. However, the screeching vocals had absolutely no success. In addition to the overloud music, over the past couple of weeks, she would hear his bed thumping against the wall rhythmically. One night in particular, curiosity won over and she stuck her ear flat against the wall, only to be greeted by the needy moans of someone close to release. She jerked her head away from the sounds and blushed deeply, as if she had been caught.

Since that night, she had been sticking close to campus to get work done. Sitting on a bench, chewing on her pencil, she looked up to see her neighbor slithering by her. She was tempted to get his attention, but waited to see what he was doing. She wasn't disappointed. Her lanky nemesis was talking to what looked like a frat guy, there was a brief exchange and the guy walked off with a baggie in his pocket. _What the hell_, Beth looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. If they had, they hadn't moved. She watched closely as red and black beanie disappeared behind a building and she scratched her head with her pencil. _Hmmm_. She heard the clock tower chime and gathered her stuff for her next class.


	2. Chapter 2

She was thinking on her neighbor's behavior when someone gently tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over to find an extremely handsome man, smiling at her. Her stomach clenched for just a moment before he spoke to her.

"Hi, I'm Zach." He extended his hand and Beth shook it, returning his smile.

"Yeah, I know. We've been in the same class for a couple of months now.

"I wasn't sure you noticed, you're always sleeping." He laughed, causing her to grimace.

"I have neighbor problems. I don't sleep much." While she was talking, Zach moved into the seat next to hers.

"That'll do it. My first semester in the dorms, they used to pull the fire alarm at three every morning. I was a lot more surly back then." Zach and Beth talked until the professor entered the auditorium, causing a hush to fall over the crowd.

The next few weeks, Beth and Zach sat together, even going as far as meeting for coffee after class almost everyday thereafter. He seemed like the kind of boy that Beth's father would have liked. He was sweet, ambitious and very courteous. Beth surprised herself by inviting him over for a home cooked meal and study date for the next week. When she got home that night, she collapsed on her couch and dialed her sister. They had spoken infrequently since Beth's move, and she was starting to feel really homesick. At first, she didn't think that Maggie was going to answer, but her sister finally picked up.

"Beth?"

"Hey, Mags. What are you doing?"

"I'm at Glenn's making dinner. You?"

"Not much right now...but next week I have plans." Maggie could hear her sister smiling through the phone.

"Oh really, my sister the social pariah has a date? Is he rented?" Maggie teased her lightly while browning meat. She hadn't eaten well since her sister left, but she was very slowly learning to cook.

"No Maggie, I didn't bribe him either."

"I mean, it's okay if you did. That's why Glenn is still around, I trade se..."

"God Maggie, do not finish that sentence. Please don't finish that sentence. I don't think I can live with the images."

"You never did get over seein' me in the barn with that one guy, what's his name..." Maggie paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Shit, I can't remember. Anyway, you've been touchy about s-e-x ever since. what are you guys gonna do?"

"I'm cooking..." She hesitated for a moment, knowing how her sister was going to react. Maggie frowned deeply into the phone, dropping the spatula, and pacing quickly back in forth in front of the stove.

"That's stupid Beth. You shouldn't bring a boy over, alone. Anything could happen. You haven't even told me about him yet. How well could you possibly know him. He could be a rapist." Beth frowned at her sister, now wearing the same exact look as Maggie.

"Look, it sounds like yer gonna go on awhile and I got things ta do, so lets just leave it here for now and you can lecture me in a couple of days. Love ya." Beth hung up the phone as quickly as possible. She grabbed at the bag that was sitting next to her and opened it up, digging in it for a book. She had barely opened it before hearing squeals of delight next door. Great, the skank brigade is here. Beth sighed and put her book away, slinging the bag around her shoulder, she went in search of a better place to study for her midterms.

Beth had taken to studying down in the laundry room. It was dirty, just like everything else, but not too many people found their way inside of the dingy room. When she had discovered the long table, used to fold laundry, she immediately ran back to her apartment and gathered up cleaning supplies. Now that it was thoroughly disinfected, she spread her books across it and climbed up. She was going on her fifth hour of consecutive studying, aided by a vending machine close to the dryers, when her eyes began to drift closed. Her head drooped against the wall and she fell into a deep sleep, iPod playing softly while she snoozed.

She jerked awake when she felt someone pull the wire to her earbuds, causing them to topple out. Sitting upright, she weakly slapped her hand in their direction. The person barked out a chuckle and she looked up, met by a familiar red and black beanie.

"Um, you shouldn't be sleeping down here. It's for laundry...and like not for squatters" He made a face at her and she stared at him silently, face sullen.

"Do you live with Badger and Skinny Pete?" _She knew damn well he did_

"Yeah."

"Are you out to get me?" He looked at her confused, but didn't say anything. "I mean, do you just have something against me sleeping or what, because it's been like two or three months and here you are waking me up again." Beth waved her arms dramatically in the open space between them, causing him to flinch back just a little.

"What are you even talking about, yo." He looked at her defensively causing her to laugh loudly and directly in his face.

"Oh no? So it isn't you that put a subwoofer against the wall?" _Got ya, jerk!_ She narrowed her eyes, daring him to argue. He started to pace in agitation, finally turning on his heels and walking back outside. Beth recalled the haunted look in his eyes and immediately felt guilty. Gathering up her things, she walked slowly back to her apartment, arriving just after black and red beanie closed his apartment door. Her stomach clenched again, guilt gnawing at her insides. _Yep, it'll be another sleepless night_, she thought to herself.

That night was the first that she didn't hear music blaring through the walls. Her head hit the pillow and she dozed, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and contentment, until a blood curdling scream woke her up. When it didn't stop, she panicked, reaching for the large butcher knife that she kept beside her bed. The racket stopped abruptly and she put her head to the wall, she could still hear whimpering and thrashing from the other side. Her heart beat heavily in her ears and she placed her hand over it to keep it from jumping straight out of her chest. Finally convinced that her neighbor wasn't being killed, she rolled back over and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she could hear the thumping of speakers vibrating through the thin barrier of sheetrock. She tossed a pillow loosely over her head and sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

A red-eyed Beth looked at the digital letters of her alarm clock. She could feel Cat walking over her torso, meowing loudly. She swatted at him lightly with her hand and yelped when he stuck her with his extended claws. As she tried to free her now throbbing hand, the cat held on tighter, enjoying their game. Finally she was able to dislodge him in time to hear someone knocking lightly. She put her feet on the ground and slowly stood up, cracking her sore back. Moving slowly, she gathered her robe around her and walked to the door.

She was greeted by a pair of vibrant blue eyes, for a moment her breath caught. Red and black beanie was not wearing his signature hat today. His sandy blond hair stuck up in all directions, scruff graced his face and to her embarrassment, she found him really attractive.

"Yo, can I come in or something." He scratched the back of his neck and waited for her answer. Beth nodded her head and opened the door wider for him to enter. Following her lead, he walked over to the couch and sat down with his legs crossed. After he was seated, she eyed his feet on her couch and walked over to the kitchen. Pulling out two glasses, she filled them with sweet tea. She walked back to the couch and placed them on coasters.

"So, I'm sorry about last night and the..." He made an ambiguous gesture with his hand before continuing. "I've had a bad couple of years and shit. So, yeah, I'm sorry."

Beth folded her hands in her lap and waited to see if he had anything else to say, when he didn't finish, she stretched out her hand.

"I'm Beth Greene. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. I'm Jesse. You're not from here." Beth shook her head.

"No, I'm from a small town in Georgia. Moved to get away from my brother and sister." As she was speaking, her cat jumped up on her lap and stuck its butt in her face. She swatted her hands back and forth. "Damn Cat!" She yelled, causing Jesse to laugh.

"What's its name?" Jess asked as he snatched the cat off of her lap and began to pet it, causing Cat to purr contentedly in his arms. Beth couldn't help but smile at the two of them, snuggled up together.

"Damn Cat."

"Yeah, but what's its name. Like, what do you call it." Jesse said slowly, as if she were a child that hadn't understood the question. Beth laughed uncontrollably.

"She. is. called. Damn. Cat." She choked out between giggles. "My brother started calling her that, it was just the only thing that stuck. Wont come to nothin' else." Jesse took a sip of the tea in front of him and nodded his head, letting loose a laugh of his own. Beth's stomach flip-flopped as they sat there looking at each other. Cat had made herself comfortable in Jesse's arms. _Must have a way with the ladies_. Beth sighed lightly.

"Well, I gotta bounce but maybe I'll see you again. Like by the dryers or something." He smiled broadly.

That isn't where she saw Jesse next. The week came and went without any her catching any sight of him. She had even developed a habit of hesitating at the door, trying to stall to see if he would come out and talk to her. No dice. As her date neared, she had put him out of her mind completely. She figured it was best to focus on one man at a time. Her sister had given her a long lecture, even with Beth pointing out the hypocrisy of the entire speech Maggie was undeterred. Now she was standing in her kitchen making dinner. Zach was running a few minutes late, but she didn't really think anything of it at first. However, when thirty minutes came and went, she started to panic just a little. She had never been stood up before and was more than willing to believe that he had been in an accident instead. Dialing his number, she cringed when she got his voicemail. An hour later, she was just pissed. She was pacing her kitchen when she heard a familiar voice float through the wall. Zach. She was sure it was him.

Steeling her resolve, she walked into the hallway and banged on the door.

"Who is it, yo? I'm busy." Beth knocked again, a little more violently this time. She heard the lock turn and the door creaked open slowly. When she saw Jesse's face, she pushed the door open, smacking him lightly in the leg on the way.

"What in the hell are you doing? Didn't they teach you, I don't know, manners where you came from." She glared at him and walked into his house just in time to see Zach lift a pipe to his lips. She moved quickly to the table and snatched the baggy that was sitting there. Jesse's apartment was identical to her own and she navigated her way to the bathroom easily. She could hear Jesse yelling behind her, but she didn't stop until she had flushed everything down the toilet. When she rounded the corner, she was face to face with her very angry neighbor.

"What did you do that for, bitch?" Beth narrowed her eyes and put a hand on her hip.

"You have a problem. Normally I wouldn't make it my problem, but he was supposed to be my date for tonight and it's been a really really long time since I've had a date. A long time. This is entirely yer fault..." Beth turned on heel and marched towards the door. She could hear Jesse swearing behind her. Zach reached his hand out and caught the hem of Beth's sundress. She turned around and swatted at him, but he only held on tighter.

"Let her go. Take you're hands off her, alright, or you wont be getting any more free sconte, my sconte, bitch." Jesse broke Zach's hold and spun Beth around by the shoulders, pushing her gently towards the door. When they got in the hallway, she rounded on him, prepared to dress him down, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, okay. I just thought he was here to see Badger or something." Beth's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What, he didn't tell you? He's here all the time. That's Badger's cousin."

"Ugh." Was all that she could manage before storming off into her apartment and banging pots and pans loudly. He hadn't been a rapist, but Maggie had been right all along. She hadn't known what she was getting herself into. She pitched herself onto the couch and let the tears that had been threatening her since Jesse's apartment fall, one by one, until the dam broke. She could barely hear someone knocking through the sobs. Choosing to ignore it, she placed her head in a decorative pillow and continued to cry.

"Come on, I know you're in there. I can hear you crying through the door." Darn it! She snorted angrily and went to the door. Placing her ear to it, she couldn't hear any evidence of her "date" being on the other side.

"What do you want Jesse."

"I didn't mean to screw up your date, okay. I'm sorry. I can come in and be your date yo. I know I'm probably not as charming as that asshat, but..."

"Are you shitting me? You came over here to be my date? You didn't really think that through did you.." She looked incredulously at the door.

"Umm, no. Not really, but just open the door." Beth turned her deadbolt and opened her door slowly, glaring at Jesse the entire time. He put up his hands in surrender causing her to roll her eyes.

"No, wait, we have to do this right." Jesse said before he ran quickly down the hall and disappeared down the stairwell._ Well that's just about right. Going as well as the first one did._ She shut her door and went back to the couch. She heard Jesse's door slam and she huffed out a breath. _Nope, this one is worse. The date actually ran away, Maggie will have a field day._ A few minutes later she heard someone banging on the door. She didn't know if she should be relieved or not, but she opened the door anyway. Standing on the threshold was a cleaned up version of Jesse, wearing a long sleeved shirt and clip on tie, holding a bouquet of fake flowers. Sensing her confusion, he opened his mouth to explain.

"Jackie in 2D keeps them." He shrugged and it made Beth laugh.

"You stole me some flowers, very romantic. Please come in, the table's still set. We'll have to nuke the food though." She gestured for him to come inside and he shyly handed her the flowers. She went to her cupboards and pulled out a mason jar. Least I don't have to water 'em. She smiled at Jesse as he sat down, looking around with a goofy grin on his face. She placed his plate in the microwave and poured him a glass of tea. After they finally got to tuck into their meals, Jesse ate with gusto, making groaning noises she recognized as pleasure. Blushing, she thought about the night she put her ear against his wall.

"I don't think yer girlfriend will be too happy about you being on a date right now." Jesse snorted into his tea.

"That shouldn't be a problem. No girlfriend." Beth looked like she was waiting for an explanation, but Jesse remained tight lipped, choosing to change the subject.

"So, what's your family think about you being here. You know, so far from home." He glanced back at his plate after asking.

"They don't like it much I guess." She stabbed at her food with a fork a looked back up. "I left after my daddy died. My momma, she's been gone a long time now and I guess daddy was the only thing really keepin' me there. I miss 'em though. They miss me. It's tough sometimes, but I'm sure you know that already with the walls bein' as thin as they are." She took a breath and looked back up at him. He had put his fork down to listen to her talk.

"Yeah, my family...My parents can be real ball busters. My brother though, man, my brother is like this really smart kid."

"You talk to 'im?"

"Nah, not in a long time...This is really good." He picked his fork back up and began eating again. They spent the rest of dinner telling stories and laughing at each other. When Beth looked at the clock behind Jesse's head, it read midnight. Catching her line of sight, he glanced up at the clock and back at Beth.

"Well, I guess I need to bounce, but this was fun. Hit me up if your next date doesn't work out." She smacked his arm gently from across the table and stood up to walk him out. When they got to the door, he hesitated for a moment. Beth looked at him in confusion, only to be taken by surprise when placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He smiled and walked next door. She stared at the empty hall for a moment, before hearing loud hoots and hollers from Badger and Skinny Pete. Shaking her head, she closed the door and went to clean up.


	3. Chapter 3

Jesse was doing his damnedest to ignore her. Beth huffed as she stomped out the last few steps to her apartment. Since their faux date, she hadn't heard a word from him. It had been a little over a month. The music had be blessedly absent and she had slept better than she had since she moved in, but she knew definitively that Jesse was avoiding his apartment. Avoiding her. She slammed the key into the lock and pushed her door open violently, startling Cat. When Cat meowed angrily, Beth pointed a finger at her.

"Don't you start." Cat stopped meowing and darted into her room under the bed.

Beth felt guilty, immediately going in search of her only friend. As she was sitting on the floor, facing dust bunnies and a pissed off cat, her mind wandered to earlier that day. She had seen a red and black beanie walking in her direction. However, when the wearer caught sight of her, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. It made Beth's blood boil. She thought about calling Maggie and asking for advice, but she knew what her sister would say, 'make him talk to you Bethy,' as if it were that easy to get someone's attention. _Well for Maggie it is_. Even her internal monologue was pissing her off. Although she had been homesick a lot lately, she could honestly say that for the first time since summer camp eight years ago, she was desperate to go home. She would spend all of Christmas break catching up with friends and family. In fact, she was convinced that she wouldn't even remember Jesse's name when she got back. _Whatever Beth. _

The night before she was set to leave, she was lying in bed looking at the ceiling. After an hour of picking out patterns in the popcorn texture, her eyes fluttered closed as she relaxed into oblivion. The thump thump thumping of Jesse's music startled her awake. Beth rolled over and knocked roughly on the wall, hoping to get his attention. In response, he knocked back. _What the hell?_ She banged her open hand against the wall, screaming.

"Not funny Jesse!" He turned the music down for a minute and she could hear his muffled speech.

"How else was I supposed to get your attention, hugh?" Beth glared at the white paint, hoping to kill him with the power of her mind.

"I don't know, try by not avoiding me in the first place." As she bit out the last few words, she heard a loud knock on her ceiling. She had just become that neighbor. She rolled her eyes and slammed herself back against the bed. For a moment, she was determined to sink into the mattress and disappear, but then she heard the faint wrapping of knuckles against her door. Looking over at her clock, she grunted and got up to greet her guest. When she opened the door to him, she was acutely aware of how little she was wearing. It was made even more obvious by the startled sweeping of his gaze over her body.

"So can I come in or what?" Beth huffed and opened the door enough to allow him inside.

"Yeah you can, but whatever you say has to be said in the bedroom because I've got an early flight." She stomped heavily into her room and dove back onto her bed. She rolled over on her side facing the wall, waiting for Jesse to make a move. Any move. He cleared his throat at the door, but when she didn't acknowledge it, he walked towards her. She could hear him kicking off his shoes. It was the only thing he was wearing aside from a pair of ratty boxers and grey shirt. Beth had definitely noticed. She felt the bed dip beside her as he sat down.

"Look, yo, I don't know what you think's been going on..but" Beth interrupted him.

"I think you've been avoiding me. Actually, I know you've been avoiding me."

"Okay yeah, maybe a little, but.."

"A lot. You've been avoiding me a lot. I can't believe you were such an asshole about it. I don't even use words like asshole, that's how much you pissed me off." She snuggled into her blankets tighter.

"Damn, yes, I have been. Sorry. I'm SO sorry. But..."

"Sorry doesn't fix it Jesse! It doesn't make it feel any better. We aren't exactly friends, but I thought we could be. You know?" She rolled over to face him, eyes starting to mist over.

"Just let me explain okay?" He waited for her to interrupt. When she didn't say anything he continued. "I don't have the best luck with, uh, relationships of any kind. My last two girlfriends, they, well, they died. It was bad, yo, and I'm just not over it yet, you know?" He tucked his head in his hands and breathed out deeply. "I just don't want to, I don't know... I'm death, okay. I destroy everything."

Beth touched his arm and he flinched away, causing her to grasp his arm more firmly. She pulled him down beside her and wrapped her arms around him, clutching him to her. He didn't fight her and she didn't force him to keep talking. They just held each other until they both dropped off into sleep. She woke up to the sun peeking through her new curtains and a pair of arms circled around her. She lifted her head to look at him, peaceful in sleep. A smile graced her features and she inclined her head slowly, placing her lips against his. He made a small noise and she pulled away, laying her head down gently on his chest and drifting back off into sleep.

"Beth. Yo, Beth. Hey." Jesse was shaking her lightly. She lifted her hand to swat at him, but he caught her hand easily. She sat up quickly and looked at her clock. _Crap!_ Beth had overslept her alarm and she would have to move fast to get to her flight on time. Jumping out of bed, she darted around her room, grabbing her bags and depositing them by the front door. She walked inside the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth. She dabbed her face with water and ran to call a cab.

"I can take you. I mean, it'll be faster." She nodded her head and he walked back into her bedroom for his shoes.

Thirty minutes and several incidents of road rage later, Beth and Cat were at the airport. Jesse had offered to carry her bags in, but she shook her head in the negative. They gave each other an awkward hug and Beth turned around to catch her flight. It wasn't going to be a long one, but it would be long enough for her to torture herself thinking about everything that had happened the night before and what it was all supposed to mean.

* * *

><p>Maggie rushed towards her with open arms and a smile. All of the tension that Beth had been carrying instantly melted away. She was home. Maggie lead her out to the truck, her daddy's old truck and loaded her bags, chattering the entire time. She told her about the horses and the new calf and that all the chickens had gotten out and how she made Glenn chase them even though she could have caught them all way faster. Waving her arms animately, she talked about Thanksgiving with Glenn's family and how terrible his sister were. Beth just nodded her head and smiled brightly at her sister. When Maggie's stories started to die down, she turned to face Beth, adopting a serious demeanor.<p>

"So how did it go with that date." Beth mentally slapped her hand against her forehead.

"He didn't show." Maggie smiled an imperious, _I told you so_, smile that made Beth want to smack her upside the head.

"That's too bad."

"You know damn well that wasn't what you were just thinking. 'sides, I did have a date, just not with him." Beth proceeded to tell her everything that had happened between her and Jesse, omitting the drugs. Maggie just nodded her head speculatively, waiting for Beth to finish. When she was done, it took a sister a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I really think that kind of relationship would be toxic for you Beth. Yer such an open, loving person. You need someone who can love you back or at least accept yer love with a modicum of grace. Jesse doesn't sound like the one for you. 'Sides, you gotta find a nice boy around here. You wont live in New Mexico forever." Her sister smiled at her and Beth positioned her lips into what a smile was supposed to look like, but she certainly didn't mean it.

By the time they reached the farm, Beth was already talked out. Maggie and Glenn seemed to be arguing and she didn't want any part of it so she escaped quickly into her room, unchanged since high school. Looking around, she grimaced at all the pictures of her done up in pink. Her parents' little doll. She rolled her eyes. She had lead a truly privileged life, better than most. Her parents had always sheltered and kept her away from the harsh realities of life. When they died, it was like someone had pulled her out of a fish tank and she was able to view the world without the obtrusive outer layer. It almost killed her, seeing what she had missed for so long. She didn't resent her parents or her siblings for trying to protect her, but she didn't believe that they had done her any favors.

Maggie and Glenn continued to fight over the next two weeks. True to form, Maggie plotted retaliation. Naturally, it included Beth and doing something that she sincerely didn't want to do. Now she was dressed in an extremely revealing black romper, courtesy of her sister and her eyes were all done up in black. Her smoky makeup made her look older. She wondered for a moment if Jesse would like the look, but quickly dismissed it._ Of course he would, he's a man_. She touched up her red lipstick and walked out of her room like a convict going to the gallows.

If she thought that her outfit was revealing, her jaw dropped when she saw Maggie's clothes. In retrospect, she was sincerely glad that Maggie hadn't decided to dress her in that. Although, there was no denying that Maggie was a show stopper in her skin tight leopard bodysuit and tiny leather shorts. Her daddy would have had a coronary. emAnother coronary. /emMaggie linked arms with her sister and lead her to the truck. Before they even got inside and buckled up, Glenn had already called and been ignored four times. _Gonna be a long night_, Beth thought wistfully.

She hadn't been wrong. Maggie had been ducking out every ten minutes to bitch a Glenn, making sure to describe what they were up to in vivid detail. Beth had been nursing the same beer for four or five hours, but still hadn't found the bottom of the glass. In her mind, her drink was an aberration of the rules of nature. In addition, her sister had been throwing men at her left and right. There was one in particular that she had found handsome, minus a few glance he hadn't seemed very interested. He didn't say much to her and didn't stick around after Maggie left them. He grunted his goodbye and went to sit at the bar. When she looked back up, Maggie was gone. She tried to stand up and go after her, but found herself stumbling in her borrowed heels. They had been a tad large for her anyway and she was now paying the price. She stumbled indelicately into one of the men that her sister had tried to pawn her off on. He held her steady. She could tell that he was asking her questions, but her head was swimming. Feeling herself pitch forward, she threw out her hands to stop the ensuing train wreck.

The next morning, she woke up with a screaming headache. She felt around for her nightstand, but couldn't seem to get her hands on it. _Funny Mags, thanks for moving it you jerk_. She rolled over to the other side of the bed and felt around. Nothing. Still unwilling to open her eyes, she rolled into the pillow and groaned.

"Hello there sunshine." A man rasped out. Beth jerked up in surprise, loosely covering herself with her arm.

"Who are you?"

"My brother told me not ta mess with ya, but I ain't never seen a woman in 'is bed before. Thought he was makin' it up." Before she could get any answers, she heard another voice from a different room.

"Leave 'er be Merle." Merle smiled big like the Cheshire Cat and made his exit. A few moments later, the good looking guy stalked into the room. He extended his hand and offered her two pills and a glass of water.

"For the headache." Beth nodded her head and took them gratefully.

"Did we...Um, did we do anything?" She whispered the last part of the sentence, afraid that saying it out loud would make it real.

"Nah, saw Maggie walk out without ya. Prolly wouldn' want to ride home with 'er drunk like that anyway." He paused for a moment and continued more bashfully. "You grew up nice."

"You know me?" The man made a sound in his throat.

"I guess you wouldn' remember. You took off pretty quick after catchin' me an' Maggie in the barn. Daryl Dixon." He extended his hand to her.

"Oh god, you. Yer the source of all my nightmares. Ugh." She slapped her hand over her face, mostly to block out the offending light.

"Sounds like me."

"How in the hell did I get that drunk. I didn't even finish one." Beth ran her fingers through her hair, cringing every time they caught on a knot. She could only imagine how bad she looked. As if reading her mind, Daryl smiled at her.

"You look jus' fine. Weren't no magic beer or nothin'. Maggie kept pourin' more into your glass when you weren' looking. I guess in total, you probably had bout nine or ten." Beth grimaced. That was a lot, especially for her. She was surprised that she survived the night.

"I'm glad we didn' do nothin', But between you and me, I think Maggie needs a little payin' back." Daryl grinned broadly and Beth could tell that she had just made an ally. She looked down at her outfit and back at Daryl.

"I'm gonna need you to rip this damn thing up a little. Oh, and I'll need some of yer clothes if that's okay. Daryl, you just became the best lay I ever had." Daryl blushed deeply at Beth's statement, covering it over by turning his head with a cough. He opened his closet and pulled out a plain black shirt and pair of plaid boxers that Beth eyed speculatively.

"They're clean. Probably." Daryl told her with a grin. It was Beth's turn to blush. She disappeared into the hall and found her way to the bathroom, coming back out holding the romper away from her body like it was going to attack her. When she got back to Daryl's room, he was sitting on his bed waiting patiently. She tossed him the garment and he turned it around in his hands.

"A damn waste." Daryl murmured before rending the fabric into shreds.

"Make it realistic, gotta look like you tore it off in the throws of passion." Beth shouted out to him and set to texting her sister. When she found her phone, she had seventeen missed calls, all Maggie. Smiling brightly, she shot her a quick text.

_You should abandon me more often_

Moments later, Maggie text her back.

_Omg Bethy, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?_

Daryl read the conversation over her shoulder and looked at her, waiting for the next move.

_I'm great. Merle Dixon was amazing...Or maybe it was Daryl. Could have been both, that beer really knocked me on my butt._

Daryl chortled, causing Beth to jump. She looked down as her phone buzzed twice in rapid succession.

_I'm coming to get you_

_Beth, tell me where you are_

Beth rolled her eyes, Maggie always had been something of a drama queen. Her fingers danced lightly over the keys.

_I'm fine. More than I can say for the clothes you let me borrow. On our way now. _

"That'll do it. Doubt I'll be leaving the house for the next ten years." Daryl smiled and walked with her out to his truck.

Maggie was waiting for her on the porch. When Beth and Daryl arrived, she took the steps two at a time. Before she made it all the way, she watched in horror as Daryl swept her little sister into his arms and gave her a deep, knee knocking kiss. He smiled devilishly and she was transported back to the day in the barn. Maggie's jaw dropped and whatever she had been about to say fell limp and lifeless at her feet. Beth waved bye to Daryl and walked merrily to her sister. Dropping the black romper at her feet, she marched into her room, grabbed her things and hummed all the way to the bathroom.

The hot shower felt heavenly on her tense muscles, allowing her to relax. She would be going back to school soon. Although it had been a nice break, she was ready to leave. She missed her apartment._ Maybe the neighbor more than the apartment itself_. Amidst her contemplation, she had missed the sound of Maggie opening the door and sliding inside the bathroom. Only when she cleared her throat did Beth realize she was there. She waited for Maggie to say something. Seconds drug into minutes and she was starting to believe that she had imagined the sound altogether.

"I'm sorry. I was a snot. I promise it wont happen again, okay?" Beth remained tight lipped. "But really, Daryl Dixon."

"You told me to find a nice boy from around here." Maggie snorted derisively.

"Ain't nothin' nice about a Dixon and I definitely wouldn't call him a boy. But I get yer point. I'll stop treating you like a kid okay." Beth smiled at the shower curtain.

"I love you Mags."

"I love you too Bethy. But if he knocked you up, I swear, God as my witness, I'll kill 'im." Beth laughed and rolled her eyes. She would have to take baby steps. Maggie wouldn't change in a day.

The rest of her time went by without incident. Daryl text her once or twice and they both had a good laugh at Maggie's expense. Beth was happy when she arrived at the airport. She would have to call a cab service when she arrived, but she would be back in her apartment by sundown. Maggie hugged her tight before she walked through the security gates, Cat mewing the entire time. Beth thought leaving seemed harder for the cat than it was for her. She waved goodbye and walked silently to her gate.

When Beth arrived in New Mexico a few hours later, she felt relieved. Walking through security, she grabbed her phone, prepared to call a cab when she spotted a sign with her name on it. _Jesse._ Her heart leaped in her chest. He had remembered when she was coming home and had made the effort to be there. She walked to him with a smile on her face.

"You're chariot awaits, yo." He grabbed her bags and they walked outside together.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: ****There is some heavy petting in this chapter. Never written anything like it before so It probably came out pretty damn awkward.**_

Beth and Jesse both looked at the apartment door. She hadn't given much thought to whether or not she was going to invite him inside. Struggling for a moment, she put the key in the lock and opened the door. The place was exactly how she left it. She walked to her room to deposit her bags and free Cat. All the while, Jesse stood awkwardly by the door, hesitating and then finally walking towards the couch. He moved a decorative pillow and sat down, placing the pillow in his lap. She looked over at him and laughed, lightening the mood. Before she broke the ice, the tension had been so thick she swore she could have cut it with a knife. Sitting down, she gently laced her fingers with his

"Get into any trouble while I was gone?"

"Uh, no." He raked his bottom lip between his teeth and smiled sheepishly. They both knew he was full of shit. Beth looked forward for a moment, flipping on her TV and turning down the volume. She could feel Jesse's eyes on her, studying her features. She smiled, but didn't turn to look at him. He met her challenge by moving his head closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her face, tickling her cheek. Rotating her head, his proximity forced her to brush her lips against his. Pulling away, she tilted her head to look at him. He wrapped his hand loosely in her hair, bringing her face closer before pressing gentle kisses to her lips and face. She placed her hand on his chest and could feel his heart dancing against her hand.

His movements were slow and deliberate as if he was afraid that she would break. Pulling her gently, their lips connected again, making her stomach flutter. His breath quickened and he angled his body over her, pushing her lightly into the couch. Beth responded with a small noise, close to a moan, but more innocent and unexplored. His lips turned up in a devilish grin and he moved his hands slowly down her body, memorizing every detail. He rested his hand firmly on her ribs. His other hand ghosted down her side, resting gently on her thigh. He squeezed lightly, coaxing her to respond. She moved her leg a fraction of an inch, giving him the space he needed to rest heavily between her legs. Their jeans rubbed together with a swish as he pushed up against her to adjust himself through the thick fabric of his pants.

As if scalded, he stopped. Looking at her, brows furrowed. Beth looked at him self-consciously.

"You've, like, done this before, right?" Beth blushed deeply, blood rushing quickly to her head. She shook her head no and looked away from him. He slid backwards and propped himself against the arm of the couch, eyes searching.

"Okay, that's okay. Um, lets just take it slow. You know, no reason to rush into anything. Okay?" Beth shut her eyes tight, refusing to look at him until the lump in her throat had vanished. She felt his hand on her knee, pushing her legs closed. Taking her by the calves, he pulled her closer until he was able to drape her legs over his lap. Beth placed her arm over her closed eyes, sighing deeply.

"Beth, Yo. Hey, it's okay. Everything is, ah, copacetic, alright..." Finally, Beth snorted, uncovering her face. Cat jumped up on their legs, causing them both to laugh. She scooted her to the other side of the couch and looked back at Jesse, breathless and flushed.

"Sorry, it's not like I wasn't expectin' you to ask. I mean, I was thinkin' about whether or not to even bring it up if you didn'"

"Soooo...You were thinking about it, hugh?" Jesse nudged her with his elbow, causing her to toss a decorative pillow at his face.

"Don't even. Let's just go back to havin' a nice night and maybe talkin' about something, anything, that is less embarrassing for me."

"Whatever, yo." She went to hit him with the pillow again, but he pulled it out of her hand, pulling her closer in the process. He kissed her lightly once more, dropping his head in her hair and breathing deeply. Beth laughed and pushed him back by the forehead. She took her shirt in her hand and sniffed, making a face./

"Ech, I smell like plane. Gotta take a bath."

"I'll bounce. I'm glad, you know, that you're back." He gestured between them. Beth held up her hand to silence him.

"Nope. You stay, sit on the edge of the tub, listen to my stories, pretend to be interested." He squinted his eyes at her.

"I mean, if you insist." Beth nodded at him, standing up and stripping off her shirt. Jesse bent his head back to look at her, standing in front of him in her pale blue bra. She bent down and captured a tattooed arm, pulling him up and towards the bathroom. Dropping her pants, she kicked them out of the way before leaning down to adjust the water for her bath. Jesse's eyes followed her movements and he sat down on the sink. She looked over at him and laughed. His socked feet bobbed up and down, making him look youthful. With her finger, she gestured for him to turn around as she removed her bra and panties and sank heavily into her tub, drawing the opaque curtain around her.

"You can look now."

"You know the great thing about bathrooms, they have these things called mirrors. Like, they reflect shit." He could see her slap her hand to her forehead through the curtain.

"I was really workin' under the assumption that you wouldn' look because yer a gentleman." Jesse huffed loudly.

"Tell me all about your vacation. You've got, like, most of my attention." Beth made an offended noise and he laughed. "Okay...All of it, but you have to make it good yo. Like crime novel good. Like Luke Skywalker, blowing up the first death star good."

"Not sure I can live up to all that. It was mostly uneventful. My sister and her boyfriend fought pretty much the whole time. She treats me like a kid, but I lover 'er. We're like completely different."

"Oh yeah? She not have your winning personality." He moved off of the sink to sit on a piece of tub that wasn't covered in shower curtain and draped his leg across the edge, staring at the wall.

"Everyone loves Maggie. She rebelled a bunch when we were kids. I remember findin' her condom stash once. I didn' know what to do so I buried them in the back yard. Daddy, Shawn and like six people from the church came up while I was coverin' the hole back up. We used ta have potlucks after church, it was our discrete way of feedin' the members of the congregation that couldn' feed themselves ya know." She stared off for a moment.

"And...?"

"And what? Oh, yeah. Anyway, At first I tried hidin' the shovel behind my back, but I had dirt all over my face and sunday dress so I just told 'em that I found a dead bunny or skunk or somethin' and that I was puttin' it to rest."

"They believed that, shit." Beth smiled at him sweetly. He was still staring at the wall, but she could see that his eyes were drifting.

"Hey could you hand me a towel?" Jesse got up and dug under her sink for a fluffy purple towel. He put his hand through the curtain and waited for her to grab it before he turned to face her. She released the water and stepped out.

Jesse stared up at the ceiling, hands behind his head as Beth told him more stories about her and Maggie. Her stories made him laugh. He turned his head to look at her, golden hair sticking up all around her face. He took a piece between two of his fingers and brushed it to the side. His chest seized and he started thinking about Jane. How much he missed her. The nightmares had been getting better, but they were vivid when they came. the ones about her were almost always the same. Him waking up next to her, begging her to be okay, the numbness, followed by grief and million other emotions that followed. He felt them all in what couldn't be more than one or two hours out of the night. Those dreams were actually the mild ones. When he dreamed of Walter White, that's when the real nightmares started.

Jesse felt Beth watching him and looked at her in the eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair, not talking, just being. He took a deep breath to ease the ache in his chest.

"Before I checked out, you said that Maggie, like, left you at a bar. How did you get home?" Beth looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"I woke up in a stranger's bed. Actually, he turned out not to be a stranger at all. It was that guy I saw in the barn with Maggie. Nothin' happened. He just brought me to his house and dropped me home the next day. We messed with Mags pretty good though, he gave me this real theatrical kiss in front of her and..."

"Wait, you let this guy kiss you?" Jesse jerked away, brows furrowed. "What the hell, yo." Beth tried to catch him by the arm, but he had already started gathering up clothes and walking towards the door.

"You aren't mad about that, yer thinking about something else and takin' it out on me."

"You don't know what you're talking about, bitch." He stormed out, Beth in his wake. She turned the corner too late and he slammed the door in her face.

* * *

><p>A few days later, she walked up the stairs after a particularly trying day. She had been trying to reach Jesse, but he was avoiding her again like the grade A ass that he was. The strap to her bag broke on the last landing, causing it to topple from her shoulder. Cussing loudly, she snatched it off of the ground and cradled it in her arms. She turned the corner to find Jesse lying prone on the floor, half in and half out of his apartment. Beth dropped her bag in a panic and ran by his side. falling on her knees, she felt around for a pulse. It was steady. She shook him, anxiety rising to the surface<p>

"Jesse, I'm gonna call 911. I'm gonna get you some help." She reached in her back pocket and pulled at her phone. Before she could dial, Jesse wrapped his fingers around her arm, bringing the phone away from her face.

"I'm fine. Don't call the cops." She ran her hand over his head, feeling for a temperature.

"Can you walk?" Jesse didn't respond to her question. Grasping his arm, she slowly dragged him next door to her apartment. She quickly pulled out her keys and opened the door, dragging Jesse in behind her. His limp form caught on the carpet several times, causing him to groan. Each time, Beth took a heavy breath and pulled a little harder. After several minutes, she managed to put him on the couch and went outside to close his door and retrieve her bags.

Her daddy had been an addict. She could only vaguely remember it, but she had heard his stories. The things that he had done. He put it out in the open, all the stuff he wasn't proud of. Not like Jesse. He guarded his secrets, internalizing them. It wasn't like he couldn't share them, it was almost like he had been programed not to share. Not to talk. _He probably was_, Beth thought.

Her daddy had warned his daughters away from men like him and Jesse. For the most part, Beth had listened. In her entire life, she had only been in one semi-serious relationship because not a single one could satisfy Hershel's expectations for his daughter. Now she was looking at the man in front of her, out of his mind, and wanting so badly to reach out her hand and touch him. She couldn't imagine what he had been through. She sat with her back against the table, face inches away from his, and watched him sleep it off.

He was looking at Jane. His chest constricted and he cried out, begging her to be okay, to be alive. Jane became Andrea. Their faces changing back and forth. He was death. Finally, they disappeared, making way for Mr. White. Walter White was the devil, ringleader of all the other demons that attacked his subconscious. He felt his body shaking and he turned his head to vomit. When he did, he heard a loud squeak, causing him to open his eyes. On the floor next to him sat a puke soaked Beth Greene.

"What...what in the hell are you doing here?" She wiped away the contents that had splattered on her face and waved a hand for him to wait, not yet in the condition to answer his questions. Just when he thought she had pulled it together, she darted to the bathroom. He cringed as he heard her vomit repeatedly and then she turned on the shower. While she was gone, he dug around under her sink for cleaning supplies. Using the towel hanging from the stove handle, he slowly cleaned up his mess and waited for her.

When she came back out, she was toweling off her hair and muttering to herself. She looked at the couch and saw Jesse sitting, cross-legged once again. Beth didn't make room for pleasantries, she glared at him, hand on hip.

"Did you do this because of me, 'cause of what I told you?"

"Uhhh, no." He huffed out a derisive breath that caused Beth's already taxed patience to break entirely.

"You need to get help. Now. This is ridiculous."

"Oh, thanks, because um, obviously I didn't already think of that. Like, I couldn't have...Like, I never reached that conclusion without your help, yo. Thank you SO much."

"You can cut the sarcasm. I don't care what you went through. This, whatever this is..." Jesse cut her off.

"This is nothing." He gestured between them animatedly. He was turning to leave and she caught his arm.

"Yer an ass. Maggie was right." She let go of him like she had been burned and turned away, walking quickly to her room. Before she reached the door, she turned back around. "You can show yer own self out." and disappeared.

Jesse stood, watching her leave as Cat wove in and out between his legs. He bent down and lightly stroked her before leaving, shutting the door silently behind him.


End file.
